Summary: Chinese luxury automobile market in August 2014

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai) - August has been a relatively rough month for the passenger automobile market in China. The luxury segment was no exception; while sales growth was still strong, it has noticeably slowed down from previous months. Sales growth rates of both the big three of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz and second-tier manufacturers have noticeably decreased from the previous months.

According to Gasgoo.com (Chinese) statistics, Audi still led the luxury automobile market in August with total sales of 47,100 vehicles; BMW and Mercedes-Benz lagged behind with respective sales of 36,800 vehicles and 21,400 vehicles. Growth rates of all three brands have decreased from levels recorded in previous months, with BMW's growth rate actually slipping into the double digits.

A total of 364,100 Audis have been sold in China from January to August, compared to 298,800 BMWs and 178,200 Benzes.

August growth rates were much higher among second-tier manufacturers, even though most of those have also seen growth slow from the previous months. Jaguar Land Rover's sales in August grew 24.8 percent, lower than its cumulative growth rate of 40.9 percent for the January to August time frame. Cadillac suffered a similar fate, with its 37.1 percent growth rate for August far less than the 64.4 percent rate it reported for the first eight months together. Infiniti also saw its growth rates slow.

Only two manufacturers were able to buck this trend: Volvo and Porsche. A total of 6,154 Volvos were sold in August, up 42.5 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, 4,115 Porsches were sold in the same time period, up 14.7 percent from 2013's figures.

As sales in China continue to increase, so too does the market's importance among luxury manufacturers. For most major manufacturers, the amount of their sales coming from China have increased noticeably. Jaguar Land Rover is a stunning example, with the amount of its sales originating from China having increased from 21.4 percent in 2013 to 26.6 percent this year. Volvo is yet another example, with 17.5 percent of its sales now coming from China compared to 14 percent a year ago. In the month of August alone, Chinese sales accounted for 33.4 percent and 21 percent of Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo's total global sales, respectively.